Love Of A Hometown Hero
by PixelSparks
Summary: Ray Stantz returns to his childhood home of Morrisville again with Peter Venkman in tow, despite the awkwardness of his last visit. Once there, he's confronted by an old rival who seems to want to make things up to him. But when Peter saves him from a drunken mistake, he finds out the extent of Peter's true feelings… [PeterxRay]
1. Secrecy

"Now arriving at Morrisville, will all passengers please ensure they take their luggage with-"

Ray Stantz groaned softly and slid down in his seat as Peter mimicked a train announcer's voice, why had he agreed to this?

"Ray, look!" Loud and seemingly unflappable, Peter had volunteered to come with Ray for the long weekend to his hometown. This was the second time Ray had been back since leaving, the previous excursion having been a somewhat distressing affair for Ray.

His efforts to clear out a hunted house had backfired and resulted in public humiliation so bad he'd hung up his proton pack and pretty much run out on his friends. It soon came to light that Ray's old "rival", Alan Favish, had used a book on black magic to turn the previously docile ghosts into raging spectres.

In the end, Ray and his friends had put the towns legendary Winged Puma monster to rest, and Ray had chosen to forgive the town for treating him so unfairly. When he'd left, Favish had been paying for repairs caused by his jealously-fuelled mess. Ray had also gotten a very adorable hug from Elaine Furman, his old crush.

Now the town council had invited him back again, this time to celebrate the anniversary of the towns founding. He'd been on the fence about attending, keeping the letter well hidden from his friends until Peter happened to look over his shoulder while he was re-reading it for the 16th time.

* * *

"You're gonna go, right?" he'd said cheerily, grabbing and waving the letter in the air. Ray had stretched up on his tiptoes and grabbed it back, face red as a tomato.

"I don't wanna, Peter.." he'd said weakly, but Peter had just rolled his eyes.

"C'mon Ray, you cant still be embarrassed over what happened last time? They said they were sorry, you're still their little Hometown Hero, or did you forget?"

"No." Ray fidgeted "something's just.."

He broke off with a heavy sigh "I suppose I should at least go so I can see my old school teachers and miss Furman. See hows she's doing with that house since you guys cleared the ghosts out of it."

"That's the spirit. Hey, why don't I come with you?" Peter grinned wickedly.

"Whyyy…?" Ray had asked, squinting as his friend, but Peter hadn't given a proper answer, leading Ray to believe he was probably avoiding another ex-girlfriend. Peter was a strange beast, a total flirt and a bit forward, it didn't take long before most fell under his sway. On the opposite hand, Ray seen himself as painfully shy sometimes, always babbling when he was nervous or letting his inner child out way too often.

So he'd agreed to Peter coming along for the trip, secretly relieved to have the company...

* * *

If Peter didn't cause him to explode from embarrassment first, that is.

"It's safe to say they still love ya, Ray!" Peter poked Rays side, making the man yelp and almost fly out of his seat. He leaned over Peters seat to peer out the car window and see what the brunette man was talking about. What he seen made him slam his head into the window with a groan.

A massive banner declaring the festival wasn't that bad, it was what was also on display right beneath it that made Ray panic. A second sign proudly declaring, if you could believe it, Ray thought, that it was the hometown of one of the "world-famous" Ghostbusters.

Peter bit back a muffled laugh as Ray flopped across the armrests, bumping his forehead against the window. He patted his back, trying to reassure him.

"C'mon Ray, it's not that bad."

"So much for incognito." Ray wailed, voice muffled by the glass.

"Well, I don't think face-planting the glass is helping, you'll get a headache." Peter hauled him up by his collar "let's go, hero!"

Ray made a faint whimpering sound and his face was still a slight shade of red when they exited the car. The red-haired man stuffed his hands into his pockets, pulling the collar of his jacket up as high as he could.

Both he and Peter had chosen to dress in civilian clothing for the trip up, although they'd brought their proton packs and uniforms in their suitcases.

Peter glanced back, seeing Ray looked genuinely worried, hunched up so far his short-cropped red hair brushed his shoulders. He turned back, ruffling said hair and making Ray look dolefully up at him.

"Hey, why the long face? It'll be OK!" he grinned cheerily "We don't have to hang around at the ceremony if you don't want to, we can just clear off and get a drink or something?"

"Y-yeah.." Ray said at last, sighing as he straightened his posture "lets get this over with."

That said, he took a deep breath and strode towards the path that led into town. It was pretty peaceful and deserted until they rounded a corner and came across the haunted house Ray had been talking about. It'd been spruced up considerably and best of all, it sported a SOLD sign outside.

"Well I'll be- she did it!" Ray said, a smile returning for the first time all day.

"Without the spooks, it's not a bad joint." Peter looked up at the mansion house, wishing he could afford such a location "bet it went for a fortune!"

"You're not wrong!" a cheery female voice broke in and both boys turned to see a woman with shoulder length brown hair run up.

"Elaine!" Ray chirped, darting forward for a hug. She laughed happily, hugging him tightly in return.

"It's so good to see you, Ray!"

"You too, Elaine! How's things?" Ray asked as she let him go.

"Oh, much improved since you and your friends got rid of the Puma!"

She tailed off as she seen Ray wince subtly "what's the matter?"

"He's a little fidgety about it, still guilts himself for what happened." Peter patted Ray's shoulder as he smiled at Elaine "heart of gold this fella, but with a guilt complex so big it has its own zip code!"

Ray went red, for Peter had once again hit the nail on the head. As annoyed as he briefly was at his friend, there was no denying the truth in his words. He sighed heavily, why had he agreed to this?

One reason he knew for certain was Elaine Furman, she'd been his childhood friend and had even flirted with him on occasion. Although he treasured her friendship, he'd come to realise it wasn't the same sort of connection the TV shows talked about. He loved her personality, her kindness, but that was it.

"Elaine, honey?" a man's voice butted into Rays pondering and he blinked, looking up as another old face came up. It was a guy from Ray's old high-school class, he'd once been an egotistical sports player but from what Ray had learned after the Puma visit, the guy had mellowed out big-time.

"Hay, if it isn't Ray Stantz!" the guy grinned, clapping Ray on the shoulder and nearly making him topple over "long time no see, hero."

"Buck, h-hey." Ray forced a cheerful smile "it's good to see home again."

Buck didn't seem to see Ray's nervousness, merely grinning at the man before glancing at Venkman.

"Who's your friend?" he asked, thinking the other guy standing silently beside Ray looked familiar.

"Name's Peter Venkman, Ray and I work together."

"Ah, the Ghostbusters, of course. Thanks to you guys, we don't have to worry about the Puma any more!" he laughed happily, again missing the way Ray winced and made a faint squeaking noise.

Elaine noticed his discomfort though and reigned her boyfriend in by asking how the sale had gone?

"It's all signed, we can afford to buy our own house with the money from selling the old spook-house." Buck wrapped an arm around Elaine, smiling fondly at her. Ray was glad to see she was happy, even as he felt a small pang for how things had changed.

Elaine hugged Ray one more time, before she and Buck headed up to the house.

* * *

"Well, that was nice." Peter remarked as they carried on walking.

"Huh? O-oh, yes." Ray managed a flustered smile, but Peter thought he seen something hidden in it.

"You OK, buddy?" he asked, leaning closer to Ray and studying his expression intently as they walked.

"What? Oh sure, I'm fine!" Ray looked up, seen the level of scrutiny he was under and promptly blushed again. He wasn't that good at hiding things, especially not from the eagle-eyed wise-ass that was Peter Venkman. For all his surface laziness, the guy was disturbingly astute at times, to the point where Egon often pondered whether Peter was a genius or an idiot? Although that may have just been revenge for all the times Peter teased the genius doctor about his IQ.

"It's the girl isn't it? Don't worry, there's lots of fish in the sea-"

"Elaine? No no, it's not that. She's my friend, Peter and that's all. It's true I like her, but not like that, y'know?"

Peter raised an eyebrow, making Ray fidget and glance away again. Thus he missed the thoughtful look that crossed Peter's face as he straightened up and looked at the street ahead.

"Well, here we go." Ray took another deep breath, then strode towards the centre of town, clutching his suitcase in one sweaty hand. Peter strolled along behind, hands in his pockets, the image of effortless cool in comparison to Ray's somewhat forced cheer.

* * *

All it took was one person and soon Ray found himself swarmed by the townsfolk.

"Ray Stantz, well I'll be- it's been awhile, fella!"

"I seen the newspapers, good job on that case-"

"You staying for the whole festival?"

Ray did his best to answer their questions, occasionally stumbling as a flashbulb went off. Goodness, they were really paying him a lot of attention, weren't they?

Seeing him squirm, Peter strolled to catch up with Ray, greeting the townsfolk with a grin. Many recognised him from the pictures in the paper and were eager to fawn over the second ghostbuster. In his usual way, Peter absorbed all this and gave them the full force of his charms, making a few women in the crowd blush.

As the crowd finally dispersed to return to their preparations, a familiar voice that sent anxious tremors up Rays spine, now caught his ear.

"Stantz, you old rogue. Ever the perfect Prince Charming, aren't you?"

Ray turned slowly as his heart sank, seeing a familiar figure behind him. It was Favish, his rival of sorts. Throughout their school days he'd teased Ray mercilessly, saying Ray's daydreaming wouldn't serve him in the real world, that he should stop reading so many books on ghosts. But in a role reversal, Ray's ghost work had earned him a fair bit of fame and prestige, while Favish was stuck is the small town selling shoes. He'd rebuilt his business after the last year's incident, though it'd eaten into his profits for that year which hadn't pleased him any. He'd never admitted it, but he was wildly jealous of Ray, the guy was somehow able to endear people to him just by smiling. The other kids had always liked Ray, the teachers had fussed over the precocious young student, saying he was oh so clever, wasn't he?

"Alan..." Ray said, managing a smile despite his unease. They hadn't exactly parted on good terms last time. While not acting outwardly angry at him, Favish had been as standoffish as he could be without slapping Ray.

Seeing Ray's tension all over his face, Favish startled the Ghostbuster by laughing. "Don't look so worried, Ray! I know I made a mess of things, that's what happens when you let jealousy get control!"

Ray blinked, a little surprised. Definitely not how he'd expected this to go, to be perfectly honest.

"What's the point in being bitter," Favish carried on talking "I've been pushing my business to make it even better and now I have a second store about to open up a couple of towns over."

"That's great news, Alan!" Ray beamed kindly, he was genuinely pleased to see Favish was moving on. Favish grinned at him, a far nicer smile than Ray had ever seen from him.

"Well, it's thanks to you, Ray." he grinned, grabbing Ray's hand and giving it a firm shake.

"M-me?" Ray stammered, wide-eyed at how off-script this whole encounter was going. Part of his reluctance HAD been over having to meet Favish again, but now he felt a surge of relief that the guy seemed so much less angry.

"Yes, after you left I realised that being reckless was going to ruin not just my life, but a lot of other people's too. So I decided to have a fresh start. The towns' getting more traffic these days, we may even have a tourist industry if this keeps up! Haha!"

Ray nodded in agreement, it would be nice to see the little town flourish more, he had to admit. Favish released his hand and stepped back with a grin, saying he had to get back to work, but hopefully he'd see Ray later?

Then he was gone.

"What a crock-" Peter began, but Ray cut him off, gentle natured as ever.

"I should give him a chance Peter, after all, being negative won't exactly reinforce this change of heart."

"You're too nice, Ray." Peter ran a hand through his hair with a sigh, "a little bit oblivious too."

"Oblivious to what?" Ray cocked his head to one side, reminding Peter of a perplexed puppy.

In fitting with that theme, Peter patted him on the head, chuckling and saying it was nothing. Ray really could be adorkably clueless at times, it was one of his best traits.

Ray was a little puzzled, but decided it was just Peter being Peter and let it go.

* * *

But he was at least feeling a little better about the visit by the time they reached their hotel room. As Favish had said, there was quite a bit of traffic coming into the town, so the most they'd been able to get was a room with two double beds in it. Peter took a flying leap onto his, cackling in glee as the bouncy mattress bounced him into the air. Every time he bounced up, he tried striking a silly pose, which made Ray bust into fits of giggles.

"Aaand my work here is done." Peter flopped back onto the bed with a grin directed at Ray.

"What work, Peter?" Ray asked, the laughter slowing a little as he took a breath.

"Made you laugh, you're off the hook for whatever you're blaming yourself for." Peter said almost smugly as he stretched out across the bed, reminding Ray of a cat basking in a sun beam.

-Thanks, Peter.- Ray thought as he unpacked his suitcase, grateful for Venkman's brand of goofy humour.

Reluctantly, Ray put on his uniform for the festival, since his status as a Ghostbuster seemed to be what people loved about him now. Peter followed suit, assuring Ray it'd be fine.

* * *

"And of course, where would our hometown be on the map, without a very special resident!" The mayor announced, and Ray, who'd been daydreaming through most of the ceremony, jolted back to awareness now.

-Pease don't say it.- he groaned, even as he knew it was inevitable.

"Morrisville's own humble hero, Raymond Stantz! Come on up here, Ray my boy!"

A very flushed Ray groaned and forced a smile as he made his way through the clamouring crowds toward the stage, casting a lone glance back at his companion for the trip. Peter edged as close to the stage as he could, although this was slowed a little by Ray's apparent fan-club, who clustered by the stage as Ray stepped onto it.

"Mr Mayor." Ray smiled guiltily as he seen how happy the old man was "you really didn't have to-"

"Nonsense, Raymond!" the mayor slung an arm around Ray's shoulder, turning him to face the crowd. "You went from a quiet little student to a national hero! Thanks to you and your friends, we don't have to fear the Puma any longer!"

More cheering and Peter suddenly seen eyes on himself too and grinned jovially.

"Not bad for a bookworm, eh Ray?" A voice called from the crowd and Ray flushed as more cheering broke out. Peter glanced around, seeing the owner of the comment was Rays supposed "rival".

"Why's he so chummy?" Peter grumbled, eyes narrowing slightly. As if detecting Peter's suspicion, Favish caught Venkman's eye and grinned innocently. Peter forced a smile in return, maybe he was just being a little too cynical? Wouldn't be the first time. But even so, something about this guy just bothered him was all, call it intuition.

The Mayor at last released Ray, who made a short but sweet speech to the townsfolk, who cheered his kind words and clapped him on the back as he hopped down from the stage to find Peter.

"Can we go find somewhere quiet?" Ray wheezed softly "my head feels about to explode!"

"Sure, looks like the ceremony is over now anyway." Peter said just as the mayor said the same thing and let the crowds loose. Casting a glance about, Peter spotted a confection stand and towed Ray over to it.

* * *

A good dose of candy later and some colour had returned to Ray's cheeks, he seemed much more bright eyed. To cheer him up further, Peter told some infamously dirty jokes, making Ray laugh until his sides ached. Townsfolk passing by the picnic table cast amused glances at the Ghostbusters, seeing Ray's friend making him laugh so uproariously.

"Peter Venkman, comedian extraordinaire!" the taller Ghostbuster boasted, bowing a little too enthusiastically and lightly hitting his forehead off the table they were sat at. "Ow!"

"Peter! Are you alright?" Ray's fingers brushed Peter's forehead as he sat back up, checking for a bruise. Peter offered a slightly sheepish grin in reassurance, seeing Ray's wide-eyed look of concern.

"I'm fine Ray, nothing's damaged."

Ray looked immensely glad to hear this and suggested they have a look at the stalls?

"Lead the way, oh Hero." Peter said grandly, earning a glower from Ray that made him giggle shamelessly.

It made Ray feel better to see how the tourists seemed to like his little hometown. Hopefully the money this rise in traffic brought in could help fund a program to rebuild some of the older houses. He and Peter had a go at a sharpshooting stall, both being pretty dab hands with a gun after so long using the proton packs.

A group of kids came racing up to the Ghostbusting duo as they left the stall, asking to see the proton pack. So Ray and Peter sat at a bench and carefully explained the magic of the portable nuclear accelerators. Peter told some stories of silly busts and the odd goof-up and this amused the young kids no end.

Peter seen an attractive young lady walk by carrying a signpost describing another section of the festival he wanted to investigate and suggested it to his friend, but Ray shook his head and said he'd stay here awhile.

"You OK, Ray?" Peter asked, hands on his hips as he studied his friend, who fidgeted in his seat.

"I'm fine Peter, I just want to relax, I didn't expect THIS much attention again. I mean I knew there'd be some, but this is a little-"

"Overload?" Peter suggested and Ray nodded.

"You go ahead Peter, there's a lot of stuff to do around here, I'll meet up with you later."

"Ok buddy, don't let them wear you down, ok?" Peter grinned, winking subtly and making Ray chuckle

"Sure thing." Ray said as Peter melted into the crowd, his outgoing voice audible even after he'd long vanished into the crush of people.

* * *

Ray sat there awhile, barely aware of time passing, just watching the festival unfold around him, listening to the music with his hands folded over the proton pack on his lap.

"I still find it hard to believe you helped make that thing- what did you call it, a nuclear whatsit?"

Ray looked up as he seen Alan standing in front of him now, glancing interestedly at the proton pack.

"Alan-" Ray cleared his throat "Yes, it's a portable nuclear accelerator. Technically unlicensed to begin with, but the mayor of New York has long quit asking and I think he's just happy to look the other way if we keep the ghouls out of his office!"

"Thats politicians for ya!" Favish shrugged, making a gesture to ask if he could join Ray, who nodded amicably.

"Where's your friend?"

"Oh, Peter? He went to explore the town, I don't think he got a proper feel for it last time." Ray smiled faintly "what with the Puma and all."

"Too true, that thing was large as life and twice as ugly!" Favish shuddered "surprised you boys don't have nightmares looking at that stuff day in day out."

"Oh, we've gotten used to it. Mostly the focus is on stopping the spirits, we don't have time to be fully scared of them. Not all the time anyway, although there were some, like the Boogeyman, that really freaked us out on sight."

Seeing Ray looking a little withdrawn, his former Rival shifted to sit a little closer "you looked a bit flustered on stage, hope my grandstanding didn't make it worse!'

Ray flushed and bit his lip, that HAD been pretty awkward. He closed his eyes, uttering a small sigh before speaking.

"It's fine, I'm just not that into the spotlight. Unlike Peter, I'm not that smooth a talker."

"Yes, he does have a mouth on him, doesn't he?" Favish mused, raising an eyebrow and snorting.

"Peter's a good guy," Ray defended in earnest as he opened his eyes "just very outgoing."

"You always did see the best in people, didn't you Ray?" Favish chuckled, clapping a hand on Ray's shoulder and getting a faint smile from him.

"I think it's important to, otherwise we'd just be bitter-"

Ray realised that might have sounded a little preachy and clammed up, turning beet red and mentally face-palming. Favish raised an eyebrow when he seen Ray blush furiously, but didn't say anything for a moment.

"It's true though," he mused with a reluctant shrug "it tires you out, being angry or jealous. That's why I decided to stop."

Ray smiled then, his trademark warm grin. A bird flew close by, skimming past their heads and he realised it'd gotten a little dark. Just how much time had passed?

Favish asked if Ray fancied going to the bar for a drink, just for old times?

"Sure." Ray looked around for Peter as they got up from the bench, which subtly annoyed Favish.

-Why does Ray need that boisterous loudmouth along for the ride, anyway?- He'd picked up that Peter was protective of Ray, but then he'd gotten that impression from all of Ray's little Ghostbuster buddies, even the near-unemotional blonde one with the glasses.

Finally Ray ceased his search, figured he'd meet Peter at the hotel later and followed Favish away from the crowds, listening to him talking about his new shop. By the sounds of it, he was working pretty hard after what'd happened with the Winged Puma, actually smiling when Ray mentioned so.

* * *

They reached the bar, which was already getting busy. More cheers met Ray ears when he entered and he went pink, it seemed to be a busy day for it.

He and Favish sat at the bar and the shoe-shop owner ordered the first round.

Their talk wandered all over, from shoes to ghosts to old rivalries from their school days. Ray giggled as he recalled his concerted efforts to escape sports lessons.

"I never was one for exercise," he polished off his third beer, setting the glass down with a light thump "hadda go on a diet at one point. But, chasing ghosts is good exercise, ya know?"

"Well, it seems to have helped you." Favish stated, looking at Ray in a way that, maybe it was just the booze, but it made Ray blush for a different reason.

"I've fallen off buildings, rolled down a cliff and gotten stuck up trees to name a few. This job can be a bit….owch." Ray shrugged, brushing his hair out of his eyes with a boyish grin.

"I've gotten sidetracked on so many diets- I mean, Peter's always joking about my habit of eating too much-"

"Hmph, some friend." Favish rolled his eyes. Ray blinked, brought up short by this interruption.

"I mean, look at it this way, what kind of friend teases you about your weight?"

"Well," Ray hiccuped, frowned, then said "you used to. You said I was only in shape if round was a shape-"

"Yes, I was a moron in my school years. All mouth and no brains behind it!" Favish laughed "like I said earlier, that doesn't apply to you now. I do apologise for those years, they were not my crowning achievement."

"Ah, it doesn't matter." Ray smiled, too kind to really hold a grudge "it was kinda true, after all- Peter nicknames me the human furnace for somehow metabolising that much dessert, but he's just -"

"That friend of yours seems to take your for granted an awful lot, he's a bit of a show off. I know you see the best in everybody Ray, but really..."

Ray blinked, his alcohol-muddled brain was getting confused. Peter wasn't mean spirited, he would tease all the guys. He was one of the few to really annoy Egon for instance.

He pointed this out to Favish, who scrunched his nose.

"Egon? Remind me, which one was he?"

"Tall, blonde hair, talks like a total genius?" Ray reminded him.

"Ah right, yes, I remember him now. Very serious chap, if I recall."

"Yeah, Egon's a brainiac, but not too enthusiastic about social stuff."

Ray looked down at the bar top, doodling a pattern with one finger "sometimes, I feel like the odd one out. Im not as serious as Egon, I cant be totally laid back like Peter and Winston's got the whole easy going thing down to a T."

"You're just a genuinely decent guy, don't beat yourself up." Favish motioned the bartender for another round and set a hand on Ray's arm. Ray sniffled, blinking up at him and it surprised Favish to see the poor man looked on the verge of tears. Perhaps he was a little too drunk?

"I wanna be as amazing as they are..." Ray hiccuped.

"Don't beat yourself up, Ray," he said silkily, moving his left hand to rest on Ray's wrist, just brushing over his hand. The right settled on Ray's back, pressing against his uniform "you need them to-"

"Ray!"

Favish cursed and moved his hand away as a familiar voice met his ears. Turning on his stool, he came face to face with Peter Venkman.

"Oh, Peter isn't it? Care to join us for a drink?"

"I don't think so, I can't help notice Ray's looking more than halfway to tipsy. I'd better get him back to the hotel before he does something to himself that he'll regret in the morning. Such as have another drink." Peter nimbly moved the new glass of drink away from Ray, who blinked sleepily and made a noise that could've been an objection.

"Maybe the only thing he'll regret is letting himself be bossed around by YOU." Favish kept his voice low, smirking as Peter flushed angrily and took a step closer.

"What did you just say?" Venkman set his hands on his hips, scowling darkly.

"Just that you're a little overbearing. He's free to have a drink with an old friend isn't he, or are you hell-bent on keeping him to yourself?"

"Wow, you're childish" Peter sniped "it's called giving a damn, you may want to try it sometime?"

"Oh I already have. I'm concerned Ray is overdue telling you and the rest to back off."

"Do you listen to yourself talk, or is it hard to hear when your head's shoved that far up your ass-"

"Peter!" Ray yelped in distress as the men argued. He swung on his stool and tried to grab Peter's sleeve but lost his balance and would've brained himself on the floor, if Peter hadn't moved quickly to catch him.

"Ok, you're plenty drunk enough, Ray." Peter said worriedly as Ray clung to his sleeve and hiccuped dizzily. Peter helped him to his feet, giving Ray enough time to thank Favish in his usual generous way, then he steered the tipsy Ghostbuster out into the cool evening air.

* * *

He draped Ray's arm over his shoulders, helping the slightly drunk red-head stagger along. It was rare that Ray got drunk, but Peter knew how badly it could end if he had consumed much more. As it was, Ray looked flushed and oddly upset.

"Whats got into you Ray, you're not normally prone to drinking. Or letting people hit on you like that...you feelin' OK?" Peter asked. Ray gave him a look that would've been funny, had things not been so serious. It was a look of total confusion in its most innocent way.

"Wha...what do you mean? Nobody was...hitting on me.." he faltered as it occurred to him now, out in the fresh air, that there may be a nugget of truth to Peter's words.

"You get what I mean, don't you?" Peter said quietly, seeing Ray turn red and look at the floor "he was practically pawing at you Ray. I cant say I seen that coming, but the guy's clearly got over his grudge against you and started on something else."

Ray dipped his head so his fringe hid his eyes, feeling a surge of post-alchohol-euphoria embarrassment flood his veins. He felt Peter's hand, currently supporting his midsection, pat his side gently.

"It's OK, bud" Peter assured him "we've all done weird stuff whilst drunk. When you're sober, I'll tell you some of my best college moments."

"Like the one where you flew your underwear from the flagpole-"

"-while still wearing them? Heck yes!" Peter laughed, hearing Ray giggle tipsily alongside him.

"Wish I could've seen that." Ray sighed, clinging to his friend so he didn't fall over, the street seemed awfully close now.

"If I can work out how to distract security, the mayor's office is next!" Peter snorted, making Ray laugh again.

"Seriously though," Peter said a moment later as they approached the hotel "you need to be careful. Take better care of yourself for starters. That guy-"

"Why are you so concerned?" Ray said suddenly "and care-? do you think I'm stupid? Just a big, dumb, pudgy idiot you need to babysit?"

"What? Who called you pudgy?" of all the things Peter's brain settled on, it was that for some reason. Ray stumbled free abruptly, shivering as the chill breeze crept into every gap in his uniform.

"You're always poking fun at me every time I try to go on a diet, Peter, you-" He felt a sense of shame as he heard his voice wobble, but he was too drunk to stop himself "you keep moving those figures of the Walt Fleishman characters-"

"OK, slow down. That wasn't me."

"Really? Then why were YOU the one who came back with them?"

"Because I caught Slimer staging little battles with them after watching the history chows. I knew they were valuable to you, so I bribed him with food and stole them back before he returned."

Ray sniffled, that did make sense. He'd been cross at Peter, but work had gotten so busy after that, that he hadn't thought it worth arguing with his friend.

"And I'm not teasing you about the diet thing- at least, I don't mean to be cruel. You want the truth? I don't think you need to diet anymore. I don't know what that guy was telling you, but you're not pudgy. You're...just you." Peter said with an honest shrug.

Ray blinked, trying to stop the childish tears from falling, but the booze rendered self-control a little unfit for duty and he seen his vision blur as he blinked them away. He stared at the blurry pavement under his feet, hearing crickets chirping in the bushes lining the parking lot.

-Ah, geez...- Peter sighed softly –I hate seein' him like this. He's the nicest guy in the world- -

"Why do you care if Favish was..." Ray trailed off, blushing awkwardly. Peter stepped over and began steering Ray towards the door of their ground-floor hotel room.

"Because you deserve better, Ray. That's all there is to it. Maybe he's right and I AM too protective, but I could see that slimy grin on his face as he started making a move on you. He doesn't care about YOU, he just wants in your pants to prove he won!"

Ray blinked, processing this as Peter opened the door and steered him through. He stood there blankly, mind awhirl. Peter cared that much?

* * *

Peter stopped mid-way towards the bathroom, turning back to see Ray still standing in the entranceway, with the door hanging open behind him. He walked over with a soft sigh, leaning past Ray to push it shut. This put them very close together and Ray's soft red hair brushed his nose. The tipsy Ghostbuster tilted his head up to look at Peter.

"You're going to catch cold." Peter said quietly but Ray continued to look at him, the look in those innocent eyes almost unbearable. Peter winced, turning his head away.

"Why-" Ray figured he was past the point of total embarrassment and something about the way Peter had said he deserved better was gnawing away at him. "why do you care, really?"

"You're my friend Ray, why wouldn't I care-"

"Enough to screen who flirts with me?" Ray blurted, making Peter wince again. How could Ray be so perceptive whilst being that tipsy?

"Peter-!" Ray's voice rose as he was met with stony silence.

"Damnit, Ray." Peter sighed heavily, so much behind those two words it set Ray's heart pounding.

Deciding he'd already been rumbled and not wanting to hurt Ray any further by hiding from him, Peter did the last thing Ray ever expected. One hand still braced on the door, he hooked the other arm around Ray's waist and leaned into him.

Ray thought he was going to explode when his best friend friend suddenly pulled him close and kissed him. He felt a surge of electricity that near took his breath away as he gripped Peter's shirt tightly, feeling he'd fall over if he didn't. His head felt clearer then he thought possible, the shock clearing away the cobwebs.

When Peter kissed him a second time, Ray uttered an urgent moan and pressed against the warmth of his friend. The solid wood of the hotel room door pressed into his back as the kisses continued.

At last, Peter let him go, but made no move to put any space between them.

"Been waiting to do that." Peter admitted with a sultry grin. Ray blushed profusely, one hand moving to his lips, which tingled from the startling kisses. His chest rose and fell rapidly, heart hammering from the excitement.

"P-peter." he stammered, feeling his face grow hot.

"Never told you this about me, did I?" Peter smiled ruefully "I'm bisexual, I like both, simple as that. You know me as a womanizer, I'm completely shameless and I'll flirt with every girl around in front of you guys. But what you don't see is the flirting with the GUYS. Remember that time in the bowling alley? That guy I saved gave me his number while you guys were dealing with the police. We went on a date, well, we hung around and got hot and heavy at his apartment anyway. But that was it, we kind of drifted apart and I never heard from him again."

"I-I never realised." Ray stammered "Peter, I.."

"Don't sweat it, it's not as if I said anything, so how were you supposed to know? I am a MASTER at hiding what I don't want others to see."

"Unlike me," Ray said, feeling awkward at how much he kept hidden. But Peter just smiled again, sending a nice shiver up Ray's back.

"I seen how you always responded to the ladies that flirted with you, but there was something adorably innocent about it. You were always so honest and you never flirted back."

Ray buried his head on Peter's shoulder with a squeak of embarrassment "I see them as friends, t-that's all."

"Hey," Peter said sternly, making Ray lift his head and meet his eyes once more "you don't need to get embarrassed. Need I remind you of the fact that I just kissed you?"

Seeing Ray flush and smile, Peter grinned.

"Maybe I should do it again?" he purred, pulling Ray close and claiming his lips. Ray made the cutest little sound, something between a gasp and an urgent moan that sent a delicious jolt up his spine and meant Peter couldn't stop at just the one kiss. He snared Ray in his embrace, running his tongue along his friend's lips and wanting more of him, he tasted so sweet and warm...

Ray felt his knees go weak and tightly gripped Peter's shoulders as he parted his lips and let Peter kiss him, shyly pressing back in return as his nerves calmed down a little.

Seeing how flushed and light-headed Ray looked when he let him go, Peter reluctantly decided to cease kissing him for now. He guided Ray to his bed, sitting him down and urging him to get some sleep.

But when he moved to go to his own bed, Ray grabbed his sleeve. Peter halted, looking back at him. Ray was looking so heart-wrenchingly hopeful, face flushed and eyes bright.

"I'm not sure I can sleep." Ray said, even as he yawned lightly. Peter chuckled, sitting down beside him and pulling Ray into his arms, nuzzling playfully at his hair. The way Ray pressed into his hold, good grief it was tantalising, but the adorkable Ghostbuster was a little too tipsy and Peter didn't want to rush him.

"You're a crap liar, Raymond." he teased, using his full name and Ray squeaked again, laughing softly as Peter's breath tickled the back of his neck.

His pulse kicked up a notch when Peter shifted how they were sitting so they were lying down, with Ray cosied up to his chest. The warmth and security soon lulled Ray to sleep, he had drunk quite a bit of beer after all, it always made him drowsy…

* * *

Peter yawned sleepily, staring up at the hotel light as Ray slept. Talk about an odd day. He hadn't expected to be revealing his biggest secret to Ray, let alone kissing the sweet-natured man, but temptation had gotten the better of him. Ray was the sweetest guy around, always so willing to offer his help to everyone he met, that seeing him upset and being hit on by that creep Favish had been more than Peter could stand. He hadn't been kidding, he really did believe that Ray deserved better. He hadn't thought it could be him, but despite being a little drunk, Ray had somehow seen right through him, asking why he cared?

Seeing Ray close to tears because he genuinely didn't know what to do….it'd hit him at his core. That was when he realised he was doomed, that he was willing to risk friendship for more.

But the universe had apparently decided to cut him a break and Ray had responded to his kiss, quite adorably in fact.

Eventually he dozed off, the rhythm of Ray's breathing lulling him to sleep.

* * *

Ray woke first the next morning. He felt a warmth close by and opened his eyes, wondering who-?

He felt his memory come flooding back. He'd gotten moderately hammered and his old rival had been trying to charm him into bed, hadn't the? Ray felt a nervous cramp start in his stomach and bit his lip, closing his eyes until it faded. What had happened next?

Ah yes, Peter had swooped in and rescued him from Favish's lecherous advances. He'd then told Ray he was worried because he cared and they'd wound up kissing.

Ray felt his face heat up, scrunching his eyes closed. Oh goodness, they'd really made out, and he had definitely liked it. But had HE hit on Peter in his drunken state? What if-

"You're making the cutest goddamn face right now." Peter's voice burst into Ray's panic and the red-head yelped, sitting bolt upright on the bed. He buried his head on his knees, clenching fistfuls of his uniform in sweaty hands as he wrapped his arms around himself.

"Peter, I'm so sorry! If I did anything bad, I didn't mean to."

"Ray.?" Peter cocked his head to the side, studying how tense Ray was. He needed to make him laugh, either that or startle him with seduction. He got up off the bed, a plan forming in his mind. He walked to the kettle, flicking it on and listening to it hum a moment before moving to stand at the foot of the bed. Ray still wasn't uncurling from his hunched state, although from what Peter could see of his friend's face, he was red as a tomato and getting steadily redder.

Ray didn't dare move since Peter got up from the bed, he was hard at work convincing himself if he just stayed like this, maybe the world wouldn't explode?

"RAY. Look at me." Peter's voice was so stern that Ray found himself unable to refuse and he took a deep breath, steeling himself for a telling off.

Soon as he uncurled and stretched his legs out, Peter pounced. He pinned Ray lightly to the bed, their faces inches apart as he tangled his fingers in Ray's and pinned his hands either side of his head.

"Peter?!" Ray blushed anew, searching his friend's expression for any sign that this was a joke.

"I again remind you of a very vital fact, Raymond," Peter scolded "I. Kissed. YOU. And I will happily keep on doing it until you can barely feel your face, especially if you keep punishing yourself like this. Understand?"

Ray nodded, wide eyed. So it hadn't been a dream.

"You were a little tipsy so I didn't want to push you." Peter teased, close enough now that they were almost kissing.

"I'm sorry if I-mmhh..." Ray's apology trailed off into a delightful little moan as Peter kissed him hotly.

"You got a little drunk, no need to worry. It was that ass-brain Favish's fault. I know I was out of line by butting in on you like that," Peter grumped "but he was all over you and the way he was looking at you like you were just a conquest, I couldn't let him do that to you."

Ray flushed, feeling his heart ache pleasantly at Peter's defence of him.

"I was pretty hammered," he murmured, making Peter look at him again "i think, the way he was talking, he probably would've succeeded if you hadn't stepped in."

"What did he say to you, Ray?" Peter asked, sitting back on his heels and helping Ray to a sitting position.

Ray plucked at a loose thread on his uniform, embarrassment surging through him. "He tried to convince me that you- w-well, not just you-"

"But mostly me." Peter interpreted, causing Ray to go red and duck his head again.

"Yes. He said you took me for granted, that you didn't care if you were poking fun at my diet."

"As I said yesterday, I like you the way you are, you silly man." Peter snorted, making Ray smile very faintly. "and it's possible I have taken you for granted, you're always so dependable, Ray. It's one of the best parts of you."

Ray lifted his head, feeling a little better.

"There's that smile." Peter teased, brushing a hand over Ray's cheek before giving in and kissing him again.

Ray smiled as they parted, then looked at the both of them. "I think we may need a change of clothing."

"Yeah, kinda cant keep wearing these, eh? Tell you what, I'll go grab the spares from the car, you go get a shower."

Ray nodded shyly, then as Peter strode across to the door, he recalled something else and felt his heart sink.

"Peter, did I uh..?" he trailed off, too embarrassed to finish.

Peter paused with his hand on the door handle, looking over his shoulder "Try to seduce me into bed? Mm-hm, you certainly did and it was a very cute effort Ray, but you could barely stay awake."

Ray groaned and face-palmed, "I- then you wanted-?"

"Duh, Ray. But no worries, that's what the rest of the weekend is for." Peter winked saucily at his friend before striding smoothly out. As the door clicked shut, Ray turned the colour of a beet and flopped back onto the bed with a rather aroused groan.

Outside the door, Peter barely waited until he was three feet away from the door before a big grin made its way onto his face.

* * *

Ray eventually got off the bed and staggered into the shower, throwing his clothes over the back of a chair. He'd finished washing and dressing in civilian clothes by the time Peter came back and to his surprise, Peter had picked up breakfast.

While Ray started on the food, Peter took a shower, humming to himself as he washed. He had to admit he was feeling pretty good, this weekend was shaping up nicely!

When he exited, dressed in a clean uniform and with his hair freshly dried, Ray had finished his food and changed into the spare uniform.

"We can drop them off at a dry-cleaner's before we head to the festival. Isn't there a parade today?" Peter asked as he shoved a croissant whole into his mouth. This made his cheeks puff out like a hamster, which Ray thought was kind of cute, not that he had the guts to say it.

"Yeah and there's no need for me to stand on any part of it, the floats are all about the town's history."

"That's OK then, we can just relax. No pressure, huh?" Peter said languidly as he finished the pastry and Ray smiled, butterflies still flocking in his stomach.

"Yeah.." he said at last.

* * *

He didn't realise it as they walked down the street, but he was grinning widely. A giggly sort of grin that all but erased the shadows of the night before.

-So. Damn. Adorkable..- Peter chuckled to himself as Ray strode ahead, a definite spring to his step. If he was suffering any sort of hangover, he wasn't showing it.

When they stood at the intersection, (or what passed for one anyway), Peter twitched his hand so the back of his fingers brushed Ray's hand. To his credit, the other Ghostbuster managed to refrain from blushing, instead shooting Peter a small smile in the seconds before the lights changed and they began to walk.

Despite his outward happiness, Ray found himself on the lookout for Favish. What should he do? Part of him was confused by the fact Favish had, by all accounts, been angling to get him into bed. Contrasting his conniving methods with Peter's direct but gentle method, it was safe to say Ray knew who he felt safe around.

-I didn't think Alan went THAT way. Then again, I've been denying the fact I clearly DO. I knew it for so long, but I just tried to hide it.- Ray glanced at Peter, who was entertaining the crowds surrounding them with a tale about one of their many spook captures.

-Peter, he seen right through me...- he smiled to himself, rejoining the conversation as Venkman turned to ask him about the spook in question.

Ray was happy to see the parades, explaining the various floats to Peter, who nodded sagely and made as many ludicrous quips as he could. When Ray pulled an adorable pouty face as a result of Peter's teasing, he was rewarded with Peter biting his lip and trying so hard to not laugh Ray just couldn't stay mad. He laughed before he could stop himself, and Peter cracked up soon after. The two of them giggled like loons, not sure why it was so funny, there was just something fun about being this at ease.

"My sides.." Ray wiped at his eyes.

"I hear ya, hoo boy." Peter snickered, shaking his head and returning his attention to the float "pretty quirky home you got here, Ray."

"Yeah, you're right." Ray smiled "hey, what about yours?"

"What about mine?" Peter blinked, surprised Ray wanted to know "Not much to tell, I grew up in a pretty rowdy neighbourhood. My dad was a con man and my mother….well, she was lovely."

Ray looked up at Peter as his sentence finish with a sigh, seeing his friend looking melancholy.

"Gee, Peter. I didn't mean to bring up bad memories." he said softly, feeling bad for being so nosy. Peter's hand ruffled his hair and Ray looked up at him.

"No worries," Peter said, expression cheerful once more "don't look so down!"

With the parades over with, the two escaped into the crowd once more. Spying a cart selling crepes, Ray eagerly bought them some. He loved these things, a fact that was made pretty obvious by the big smile on his face as he and Peter strolled along.

"Hey, shall we go check out the festival games again? Yesterday was fun, showing off a bit.." Peter winked and nudged Ray's side. Ray nodded eagerly, motioning Peter to follow him down a back alley that served as a shortcut.

"I used to cut through here all the time back when I was in school. It cut a few minutes off my walk home, helped me outsmart the kids bullying me..." Ray laughed as he admitted it.

* * *

Just before they reached the sunshine flooding the exit to the alley, Peter noticed Ray had a smudge of cream on his cheek from the crepe. He pointed this out to the man, who tried to swipe at it, but somehow missed. Peter chuckled, pressed Ray gently against the cool brick wall and lapped the cream up with his tongue. This made Ray blush and Peter felt it'd be an insult to the cute but dorky Ghostbuster not to sneak a quick kiss.

Ray looked up at him, a smile on his lips as Peter let him go. The distant sounds of traffic and cheering reached them in the solitude of the alley, but for now it was just them.

"Did you get it?" he teased.

"I think so, but maybe I'd best be sure." Venkman said with a knowing grin. His heart pounded when Ray grabbed his collar and pulled them closer together for a very deep kiss. Ray was so cute when he was this eager. A very graphic idea involving his best friend here and the hotel bed flashed through Peter's mind and he felt himself blush.

-Reign it in, doofus.- he scolded himself, he'd always had an overactive imagination after all…

"You're all red," Ray tilted his head to one side, a curious look in his eyes "something on your mind?"

"Ohh, you don't wanna know-!" Peter began, then cut off as Ray pulled him in for another smooch.

"Okaayyy...maybe you do." Peter wheezed once Stantz had let him go. This prompted a grin from Ray, then they reluctantly parted and continued on their way.

Neither of the young lovers noticed the extra shadow in the alley, didn't feel its baleful gaze on them as they ducked out into the sunshine.


	2. Intimacy

The rest of the afternoon was spent generally lazing about in between posing for photos with the kids and greeting curious and awe-struck fans.

Peter singing karaoke was certainly a highlight for Ray, it turned out he had a pretty good memory for rock music. He tried to coax Ray into joining him, but Ray just shook his head and insisted he was too tone deaf whilst turning bright red. The townfolks fussed over him, drawn by his shyer nature.

As the days events finally began to wind down, Ray's stomach let out a loud and audible gurgle that made Peter snort with laughter.

"I'm starving." he sighed.

"Even after all those sweets?" Peter scratched his head, wondering just how fast Ray's body absorbed all that sugary confection?

"I mean proper food, Peter. Sweets are nice, but hot food is nicest."

"Ok, the plans pretty clear then!" Peter pointed across the way to where a newly redecorated diner stood in the distance "food, ho!"

"Yeah- wait, what'd you call me?!"

They burst into more giddy laughter as they escaped the crowds together and made a beeline for the diner.

* * *

Inside, it was blissfully cool and relatively empty. They found a booth away from the main doors, settling by a window that looked out onto a quiet garden area.

"What've we got- ooh, pancakes!" Ray's eyes gleamed, his big smile making him look like a delighted child.

Peter had always noticed this side of Ray, even sometimes griped at him on busts for being overly happy about whatever insanity was about to throw an ectoplasmic pie at their faces. But somehow, he hadn't quite seen it the same way he did now and Ray's constant faith in the world was a pleasant change from his own patented cynicism.

"You boys want some drinks?" The waitress appeared by their table and Peter reflexively gave her his flirtatious smile. Then he recalled just who he was sitting with and quickly tamped it down a bit, but Ray seemingly hadn't noticed, his eyes still glued to the menu.

They ordered some coffee and Peter picked up his menu as the waitress sauntered away, figuring some pancakes would be nice, since Ray seemed so enraptured by them. He had vague memories of his mom making him pancakes and felt that same minute jab of sadness he always felt when he wondered whether she would be proud of him if she could see him now?

Looking up from the menu, Peter took in the Ghostbuster sat opposite him. The sunlight caught Ray's red hair, making reddish-gold highlights stand out in the strands as the man read the menu, eyes shining in delight. The way it curled and brushed his forehead-

Peter swallowed nervously, suddenly acutely aware of how he viewed Ray now, since admitting last night that he had waited awhile to kiss him. It was true, after all.

It'd started with a simple hug. After thinking Peter had been severely hurt by a concussive blast, his reveal to be alright (if a bit bruised and dazed) had been such a relief to Ray that he'd all but body-tacked him in a hug, saying how glad he was.

This wasn't the first time he'd done this to any of them, Ray was a naturally affectionate guy, but it was the first hug since Peter had started REALLY coming to terms with his sexuality. And the feel of Ray's warm, strong embrace, coupled with the way his hair brushed Peter's cheek- it'd been a lot to deal with. As a result, he'd tensed up a little as he fought to keep from showing it, whereupon Ray had let him go and sheepishly apologised for knocking any bruises he may have. Peter had just chuckled, patting Ray on the head and assuring him it'd take a lot more to bump HIM off and so on.

Catching up to the duo through the fading smoke, Egon had merely remarked that landing on his butt was an assurance Peter would be just fine, which was followed by Peter sticking his tongue out at the blonde. They'd all started laughing then, it was their usual routine after a rough day.

"Peter?"

Venkman snapped out of his daydream to see Ray peering at him, brow furrowed a little "you were kinda spacing out there, everything alright?"

"Huh? Oh, sure Ray. I'm fine." Peter smiled, making Ray relax.

They ordered their food, with the waitress raising an eyebrow as she walked away. Goodness, that red-headed fella had a big appetite!

Ray seen this and felt his stomach sour a little. Memories of attempted diets and exercise came back to haunt him now and he uttered a soft sigh. Maybe he WAS too in love with his food-

"You don't seriously believe that, do you?"

Ray looked up sharply, seeing Peter leaning forward now, with his elbows resting on the table. Under the pretence of snagging a sugar packet, he let his fingertips brush against Ray's wrist as he sat back.

"What do you mean?" Ray said, although it was obvious and he knew it. This was reflected in the look Peter gave him as he tore open and emptied the sugar packet into his coffee.

"You're thinking that you're somehow less valuable of a person because of your appetite. Because of how she perceived the order."

Ray fidgeted awkwardly in his seat, staring down at the pristine tabletop. Peter was right, he'd been worrying about it since his outburst to Peter and it could probably be traced back to Favish's strange flirting, the way he'd looked at him. But how did Peter see through him so easily?

"I studied psychology, remember?" Peter teased kindly, tapping the table to make Ray pay attention "I know what's making you pull that face and I refer you to my statement this morning."

Ray fought to keep from blushing as the words came back to him now _'I like you the way you are, you silly man.'_. This, coupled with Peter's infectious smile, did make Ray feel significantly better, so much so that by the time the plates arrived he was back to his usual high spirits.

Seeing Ray's enthusiasm for his food back in action made Peter reflect on the Ghostbuster's on-again-off-again doubt over his body image. Why did he always second-guess himself?

-I swear, if that creep Favish tried to make him feel bad about that, I'm going to knock his block off.- he vowed silently, chin resting on one hand as he he toyed with the pile of pancakes on his plate.

-Heck, if _anyone_ insults Ray- They're getting getting a dose of Peter Venkman's ass-whooping- -

"Food goes in you, Peter." Peter blinked, again broken out of his fog by Ray's voice. At some point, he had picked the fork from Peter's hand and was holding it level with his face "In you."

The way his eyes sparkled, together with the cheeky grin on his face, made Peter grin back and in a swift move he scarfed the bite of pancake from the fork, licking his lips.

"Indeed it does, oh food guru." he teased, reclaiming the utensil and launching into the remaining pancakes with gusto. "These are good!"

"Yeah," Ray sat back in his seat, looking out the window with an air of quiet contemplation "I grew up on this same recipe. Brings back good memories of visits with my aunt Lois."

"How's she doin' anyway?" Peter asked curiously, as he started on the next pancake.

"Oh, she's fine. The house has been peaceful since we removed the domovoi. I'm glad she didn't have to move out, that house has a lot of history for our family."

Peter knew what he meant, they'd gotten an interesting glimpse into Ray's background during that case, learning his ancestors had come over from Russia! His own family wasn't nearly as fascinating, unfortunately.

"The only history my old house shares is with a bunch of 'roaches. I had 'em trained to the point where if I took a flashlight within two feet of them and stood on them, they'd all shoot under the fridge so fast they'd slam me into it." Peter rolled his eyes at the memory. He swallowed the last bite of pancake and slumped back in his seat, uttering a low burp.

"That, was great." he said, patting his stomach with a sigh. Opposite him, Ray was doing the same stuffed-as-a-potato act. He raised his eyebrows at Peter, who raised them back, only even more ridiculously and they shared a chuckle. They sat in a comfy silence for a few minutes as they worked on digesting the sheer volume of food they'd just eaten.

Once it was safe to move, Peter said he'd handle the bill and Ray said he needed to go to the bathroom, he'd meet him by the register in a few.

Peter was busy talking to the waitress as he paid the bill to see or even recognise the next person who walked in the door and the waitress was too absorbed in finding a way to give this hottie her number to pay attention, either...

* * *

Ray hummed softly to himself as he exited the bathroom a minute later, heading for the door that led back out to the diner. But he stopped in his tracks when he looked up and seen someone standing in his way.

"Hello, Ray."

Ray gulped nervously, it was Favish.

"C-can I help you?" he tried to sound stern, but the apprehension was obvious in his voice. There was something off about Favish' body language, the way he looked so….certain.

"Well, seeing as you've finally escaped your leash, the answers yes."

"What do you mean?" Ray began to feel more than just a little uncomfortable, but he squared off with Favish nonetheless, he couldn't abide a coward.

"I thought it was a little convenient that your friend showed up to drag you away from the bar last night. He knew I could see right through his little act, couldn't he? What was he afraid of, that you'd spill about his using you for his own ends?"

"What on earth are you talking about-" Ray said with a note of panic in his voice, trailing off into a squeak as Favish took a step towards him, fists clenched.

"I seen you two in the alley, seen him pushing you against the wall-"

'You were spying on me?!" Ray snapped out of his funk at this revelation. Anger coursed through him and he stepped up to Favish now, eyes narrowing.

"I may have been drunk, but even I eventually realised what you were up to!" Ray snapped "This whole thing has just been about getting one up on me, hasn't it? That whole pretence by the fountain, all those drinks- Peter was right, you were just trying to get in my-"

"Oh don't flatter yourself, butterball." Favish sneered, whilst inwardly he panicked at this sudden burst of perceptiveness from the usually naive Raymond.

His words dug deep and Ray faltered as if he'd been physically struck, those creeping doubts Peter had been musing about doubling in capacity now.

He paused, feeling his anger sputtering and shifting to hurt. Seeing the wind being taken out of his sails only served to make the vengeful Favish smirk.

"You know.." Ray said after a moment, "I may not be much of a looker, but at least I have a sense of decency. You want to know why Peter dragged me away from you? Because he knew damn well I deserved better than some one-night fling just to satisfy your petty jealousy!"

With that said, he tried to storm past the stunned Favish. But Favish recovered, grabbing Ray's wrist as he stalked past, yanking him back and making him stumble.

"Hey- Let go of me!" Ray cried, voice rising in alarm as he glared at Favish.

"You always have to be better than me, don't you Stantz?" Favish hissed as he pulled Ray closer to him. This close, Ray sniffed and wrinkled his nose. He'd done well to mask it, but with so little room to breathe between them, Ray realised with a sinking stomach that Favish may be very drunk.

"Teachers pet, you were a space case with his nose in a comic book all the time! I was smarter, I was more grown up- how did I get stuck in this pokey little town while you get to be a national hero?!"

"Oh I don't know-" A silky voice interrupted Favish's rant "because you're a scumbag that can't admit his problems are his own damn fault?"

Favish turned in time to be wrenched away from Ray and this was followed up by a solid punch to his face that knocked him on his ass and made him blink dizzily. Looking up, he seen- who else? Peter Venkman.

"Peter..." Ray said faintly, never happier to see his co-worker. He'd started to get scared when he realised Favish was too drunk to think reasonably.

"I've been tolerant with you, scum bag." Peter snarled "but if you EVER lay a hand on Ray again, I will END you. Clear?"

Favish stared vacantly, snapped out of his drunken daze by the shock of Peter's intervention. He seen Ray standing behind Peter, gripping the sleeve of Venkman's jumpsuit and looking a mixture of hurt and legitimately frightened that made him realise just what a mistake he'd made.

"Get lost, dirtbag, before I call the Cops-" Peter was still glaring daggers at him, cracking his knuckles as he spoke.

No longer as full of himself as he'd been before, Favish nodded, afraid of what Peter would do to him if he hung around. For a skinny guy, he packed quite a punch and his promise to kick Favish's ass if he so much as glanced at Ray again, it felt very real.

So he cut his losses and ran past the two, back out into the diner. Alone in the quiet hall, a still fuming Peter turned to check on Ray and all that anger was snuffed out when he seen Ray was shaking, a look of utter depression on his face.

"C'mon, we're getting out of here." he said gently, setting a gentle hand on Ray's shoulder. Ray nodded mutely, following after Peter as they left the hallway. To Peter's relief, Favish was long gone as they exited, but even so he insisted on getting them both a cab back to the hotel.

The whole time, Ray remained silent, outwardly giving no sign that he was in shock. But inside, he'd turned a kind of numb from adrenaline and panic. He kept replaying Favish's words; "don't flatter yourself, butterball." The vehemence in his tone had been clear and alcohol-infused or not, it'd hit home.

* * *

He didn't really respond when Peter ushered him into the hotel room, just sat on the couch staring into space. Peter seen this and resolved to mend whatever damage Favish had done in those few minutes he'd cornered his sweet-natured Ray. He sat down on the couch, waiting for Ray to pay attention, but he just kept plucking listlessly at the fabric of his jumpsuit.

"Ray." Peter's stern voice pierced the haze and Ray slowly lifted his gaze to focus on Peter. Seeing the worry on Venkman's features made him feel even worse, so he tried to glance away but Peter's hand grasped his chin gently and refused to let him flee.

"What did he do, Ray?" he asked. Ray sniffled, sighed and wished that he didn't have to talk about it. But this was Peter, he'd saved him..

"It...he tried to make you out to be that bad guy. I told him he was a jealous maniac who couldn't care beyond just talking me into bed and he said "don't-" He broke off, feeling unexpectedly like crying.

"Tell me, Ray. Please." Peter's voice was soft, but he was genuinely pleading with him. His hands clasped Ray's as he spoke, stopping them from their ceaseless movement and squeezing them reassuringly.

"He said-" Ray took a deep breath "he said "don't flatter yourself, butterball."

He uttered a broken laugh, his vision blurred and he edged away from Peter now, wrapping his arms around his middle, his big FAT middle- he thought bitterly "maybe he's right Peter, maybe I am way too overweight. I eat junk, sweets-"

"Bullshit." Peter said, making Ray flinch in surprise and trail off into silence. He blinked at Peter, lost for words.

"That guy was a drunk, brainless goon. You know why he said those things? Because you refused his advances, because you chose to trust me over him." Peter said sternly "he was no doubt hoping it'd be easy to manipulate you by getting you tipsy last night. That's the worst kind of scumbag, no doubt he was making you feel bad just so he could make like he was swooping in to comfort you. It's what's known as passive-aggressive behaviour. By not outright insulting you, he was subtly planting those doubts so he could be the one to root them out later, no doubt relying on the fact P/A behaviours can be harder to spot than outright aggression like at the diner."

Ray thought about it and nodded slowly. He sighed softly as he felt Peter's warm, gentle fingers brush away the tears threatening to fall.

"Ray, look at me." he found he couldn't turn Peter down and hesitantly met his eyes, shame and confusion battling deep inside.

"You didn't do anything wrong, Ray. I don't know how long it'll take to convince you just what you're worth, but you bet your ass I'm going to try." He nuzzled Ray's nose, sighing worriedly "even if it takes all day, I'm not letting you get away until you admit just how amazing you are."

Peter's brand of fierce comfort made Ray feel a little better and Peter uttered a shaken sigh of relief when he seen the faintest of sparks lighting behind Ray's tired eyes. He caressed the back of Ray's neck as he kissed him gently, more relief flooding his veins when his friend tentatively kissed him back. He kissed Ray several times, a series of short and sweet kisses that gradually seemed to help him relax.

"Better?" he asked, brushing Ray's hair away from his eyes.

Ray tried to talk, but his throat was so dry all he managed was a faint noise and a nod.

Peter fetched a glass of water and this did help, although Ray still seemed like a washed out version of his usual self. His boyish enthusiasm had been dampened by the shock of the day and Favish's deliberately hateful jabs were undoubtedly still weighing on his mind.

Peter was raging inside, he wanted to do much more than just punch Favish in the face NOW. He felt like dragging him down the main parade route shouting about what the prat had tried to do to his friend. Favish had been quite gleeful back when Ray had first visited the town, when he'd heard the news that Ray was quitting being a Ghostbuster. He'd coerced Ray into working for him, humiliating him by making him wear a mascot costume and talking down to him.

The other Ghostbusters hadn't taken kindly to this and had eventually helped Ray get his enthusiasm back, resulting in him re-taking his beloved job.

Ray felt the tension pervading Peter's body as he leant against him, shivers of barely repressed anger coursing through Venkman's chest. He looked up now, studying the other man's face anxiously.

"What's the matter?" he asked, making Peter jump a little. His expression softened and he smiled gently at Ray, ruffling his hair.

"Nothing to worry about, champ." he assured him, but Ray shook his head, his eyes never leaving Peter's.

"You're still angry, I can feel it."

Peter sighed, running a hand through his hair, making it stick up. Ray bit his lip, sitting on the urge for about half a second before reaching up to affectionately smooth it back into its usual style. This made Peter smile a little as he began;

"I just can't believe the nerve of that guy, doing all this to hurt you. Even if he did have any true feelings for you, he showed no decency in going after you the way he did. Plying you with all that alcohol, knowing you were just too damn gentle to hold a grudge-"

"He kept saying I was too nice, but maybe I'm just naive." Ray said softly, moving on to plucking at a loose thread on the cuff of _Peter's_ sleeve "but I always thought I should believe in the better side of someone."

Peter's hand curled around his, squeezing it gently to get his attention.

"And you shouldn't stop doing that Ray, it's what makes you so well loved. But you need to think about yourself too, don't put yourself through hell just for the sake of not hurting someone's feelings, sometimes you have be tough. You bust your butt trying to please everybody, you'll only end up depriving yourself instead and that's not good for ya."

Again, Ray was surprised by Peter's astute observations and his amazement must have shown on his face, because Peter grinned his trademark grin.

"Like I said to Egon, just because I don't act serious doesn't mean I don't pay attention sometimes. Ive seen you go to all lengths to appease everybody around you, and you end up tired and depressed. I won't lie, I worry about ya, Ray."

"You do-?" Ray felt a stab of guilt "Oh geez, I really didn't mean to-"

"Hush up." Peter said stoutly, tapping Ray on the nose so he went cross-eyed "i told you, stop beating yourself up. You're not responsible for everyone else's feelings, that's their beef. Ya gotta let 'em deal with it themselves at certain points and that brings me to one other thing; learn to tell people to shut up."

Ray blinked at him, totally confused.

"I'm serious," Peter said, unfazed "I know I've annoyed YOU countless times, for instance; me and my big mouth did a good job of being crass back when you attended the first visit here."

Ray thought back, recalling Peter rather bluntly saying something along the lines of "so what, you embarrassed the heck outta yourself? Big whoop.".

"That WAS pretty annoying.." he said, then realised what he'd just said, glancing worriedly up at Peter "Oh geez, I-"

But to his surprise, Peter was smiling smugly and set his hands on Ray's shoulders, pulling him in for a kiss before the red-head could apologise again.

"Good boy." he teased as he released a stupefied Raymond. "See? You can do it. If it's hurtin' ya Ray, say so. People are crap psychics, so you gotta tell 'em flat out, ya get me?"

Ray nodded mutely, he did understand what Peter was getting at.

"That's my Ray." Peter said proudly, kissing his forehead. Ray flushed, but looked a lot happier then when he'd first sat down. "You'll be fine, I know you. Unlike me, you are perfectly capable of being tactful."

"You're not that bad, Peter." Ray squeaked and trailed off as Peter gave him a stern look, one eyebrow raised as if awaiting something. "Uhh...you have all the tact of a nuclear bomb?"

"There you go," Peter winked, making Ray laugh. "good boy."

Ray gave him a mock glower as Peter ruffled his hair like he was a puppy, but his smile was much more genuine now.

* * *

Speaking of dogs, there was a very unusual one hopping off the train as it pulled into Morrisville. The porter seen it hiding in the shadows and ordered it to scram. Instead of barking or whining in fear or defiance, the dog stepped forward slowly with a menacing growl coming from its throat.

"What in blazes?" the porter said nervously, edging back instinctively. This animal wasn't right, was it rabid?

The dog leapt and he dropped to the floor in fear, covering his head. But instead of sinking its teeth into him, it jumped over his prone form and ran away into town. As the silence fell and the petrified porter got to his feet, he wondered what on earth that'd been about? He seen the local Sheriff's car parked nearby and figured the guy could call in animal control or something.

* * *

The little boy seen the dog crouching in the alleyway and ran over to say hello. He loved dogs with a passion and often tried to befriend any and all that he met, this one was no different. But as he reached a hand out toward it, its eyes suddenly began to glow a sickly red, its fangs grew bigger and its body began to shift and flow. The boy screamed and ran away, hearing it running after him with a howl.

He reached a nearby fence and scrambled over it, landing with a thump and a whimper in someones garden. He ran to the door, hammering on it with tears streaming down his face. A kindly old lady opened it, asking what was wrong…?

"There's a dog, it's-"

The boy looked back, but the dog was gone. "It was right here..."

* * *

Back at the hotel, Ray was dozing lightly, propped up against Peter's side. Peter had a book resting on his lap and was alternating between skimming the pages and gently rubbing Ray's back. He looked so adorably comfy that Peter didn't want to move him, even if sleeping sitting up _was_ bad for his back.

There came an abrupt knock on the door and Ray let out a startled yelp, toppling off the couch as he tried to ascertain the source of the disturbance. Peter bit back a laugh, not helped in the least by Ray's cutely wounded expression as he picked himself up. Peter kissed him on the forehead then strode over to the door, flinging it open;

"Yeess?" he drawled as he looked at...two local law officers.

OH.

He plastered a fake grin on his face whilst silently panicking. Were they here because he punched Favish? If so, he was gonna give them a piece of his mind-

"Sorry to disturb you sir," the first deputy said "but are you one of the Ghostbusters?"

"Yeah, why, you got a possessed squad car?" Peter asked.

"No sir, we have something weirder. Mind if we come in?"

"Who is it, Peter?" Ray asked, peering at his friends back as he stood there.

"Couple of the Sheriff's boys, seems we got a potential fright on our hands." Peter answered, stepping back and opening the door to let them in. Ray greeted them with his usual warmth, offering the two of them the couch while he perched on the bed. Peter leaned against the wall nearby, the picture of casual curiosity.

"We've had two separate reports of what we think to be a ghost or demonic DOG." The first officer said "We're aware it sounds crazy-"

"We specialise in crazy." Peter assured them "as the advert says 'we believe you!'"

The two officers shared looks and nodded before the second one took up the tale.

"It's attacked two people already, one of which is a child. He's currently at a local residents house, a Mrs Lloyd-"

"Oh I remember her!" Ray beamed "she used to babysit me when my parents were out of town, she's lovely."

The second deputy nodded, he was familiar with her too "she said the boy turned up on her doorstep in hysterics, claiming that a big demon dog had attacked him. He begged her to call your hotline, where we spoke to a doctor Spengler. He explained two of you were already in Morrisville and to contact you right away. He also said to handle the expense forms on your own discretion."

"Hey, good old Egon." Peter grinned "he's basically saying we're good to go. Let's go talk with this kid about a big bad dog, shall we Ray?"

Ray nodded eagerly, grabbing the Proton packs and traps and carrying them to the officer's car.

* * *

They drove the two Ghostbusters to the house and followed them up the neatly maintained garden path. Ray knocked on the door, beaming happily when it opened to reveal his former babysitter.

"Hello? Oh my, if it isn't Raymond!" Mrs Lloyd greeted her former charge warmly "it always amazes me how much you've grown."

"Hi, Mrs Lloyd." Ray said as she looked up at him "we're here to help with a stray dog problem."

"Oh yes, that poor boy was ever so scared. Wouldnt say anything but "Call the Ghostbusters, please!". Maybe seeing you fellas will put him at ease." she said, looking at Peter, standing by Ray's side "Why don't you boys come in?"

Peter smiled and introduced himself to the elderly lady. She was immediately charmed by his manners and told Ray he had some very nice friends.

Ray was reminded of the Faversham incident, where Peter had offered to help the old lady with a demon trapped in her attic for the price of just a smile. He'd admitted she reminded him of his mother, which Ray had found very touching.

* * *

The little boy looked up as the lady came back in, with a pair of Deputy's and two figures he recognised from his magazines.

"Wow," he said, wide-eyed in awe and his panic briefly forgotten "Your Dr Stantz and Dr Venkman, I'd know you guys anywhere!"

"That's right," Ray said, both he and Peter kneeling down in front of the couch to be on the kid's level. "Now, why don't you tell us what happened?"

"Don't leave any detail out," Peter added "the more we know, the better!"

So the kid described the dog, shuddering in memory as he mentioned the big fangs and the way it started to turn to fluid shadow. Ray and Peter looked at each other, sharing glances.

"Do you know what it is?" the boy asked.

"Sounds like what our buddy Egon would call a free-form shapeshifter. Without the PKE meter, we can't measure its strength, but no matter. We'll make our analysis when we catch up to the thing!"

"But _how_ are we gonna catch it?" Ray mused "it doesn't seem to be after anything in particular, yet we can't just wait for it to attack again-"

Right on cue, one of the Deputy's radios crackled and the whole room listened as a report came in of the same "animal" terrorizing the festival grounds. Ray and Peter shared looks of concern, bolting to their feet.

"Thank for your help," Ray smiled at the kid as they turned to leave "we know what we're looking for now!"

"Nice work!" Peter saluted before he, Ray and the cops legged it back to the squad car. The kid grinned, he'd just been praised by his heroes!

"I used to babysit that young man, Raymond Stantz, when he was about your age." Mrs Lloyd came back with a plate of cookies.

"Really, what was he like?" The young boy nibbled on a cookie, eager to hear about one of his idols!

* * *

The Ghostbusters piled out of the Car when they reached the festival, seeing people running everywhere. The two Deputys immediately set about herding them to safety while the professional ghost-chasers ran TOWARD the screams.

"Hey, fido!" Peter yelled as they approached and the shadow dog turned from where it was backing a young man and his date into a corner. It sniffed the air, teeth glinting in the light. These humans carried a tasty power source-

It leapt for the closest one, Ray, who ducked and swung round to get out of its reach, pressing the trigger on the proton gun as he did. A white-hot beam of energy lashed out, just clipping the things ear and throwing its momentum off. It howled in fury, hitting the dirt with a thud, before reforming and going after Peter this time.

Peter did the same as Ray, ducking and weaving to keep the thing within his sights. But the thing was faster then they'd expected and now darted up onto a stall table then leapt off and onto Peter's back as he tried to turn. It grabbed a chunk of hair in its fangs, aiming to rip this human apart. Its scrabbling claws fought for purchase on the proton pack and Peter's heart went cold as he heard a click he remembered all too well, from the incident with the Vampires. Egon's pack had been tampered with by the Vampire attacking him and that sound meant only one thing; the self-destruct had been activated.

"Peter!" Ray heard the sound like it was a gunshot and pelted across the dirt, grabbing a fallen banner from the ground and wrapping it around his arm as he did. He approached from in front of Peter, whereupon he slung the arm wrapped in bandages around Peter's neck, drawing the dogs attention.

He bit back a cry as he felt its teeth sink into the fabric, it felt like they were pressing down on his very bones. He moved his other hand to the switch, working blind in such close quarters. He could see how tensed up Peter was, could almost feel his heart pounding he was so close, the others hair brushing his cheek and its scent burned itself into Ray's memory for days after. But for the moment, he was focused on stopping the rogue ghost blowing a crater the size of who knew what in his hometown and best friend, he didn't have time to falter now. He heard a click and felt the rumbling cease from the pack.

With a furious yell, he tensed the muscles in the bound arm, twisting away from Peter and swinging with all his might. This tore the dog's claws from their already precarious hold and sent it flying several feet away. Grabbing his friends arm, Ray swiftly pulled him out of range of the stunned ghost.

"Ray.." Peter looked white as a sheet as he checked the reading on his pack "I owe you-"

"We can worry about that later, we gotta deal with this thing first!" Ray wheezed, heart still going a hundred miles an hour at the thought of Peter being in the radius of such an explosion.

"You aim high, I'll aim low." Peter whispered, "we need to trick it into going for me, let it think the pack isn't working now."

Ray nodded and they split, each going a different way. But the dog didn't act as they expected, instead aiming for RAY, as if sensing he was more of a threat to it after his interference. It seemed to grow in size as it leapt, pinning the human down. Ray fought and pushed at it but its weight was making it hard to breathe-

Peter hesitated, his finger on the trigger, but he couldn't fire so close to Ray, what was he supposed to do?!

A thought occurred as he spotted a giant bouncy ball (actually an exercise thing, as Ray later explained) and ran over, punting it as hard as he could towards the animal.

-Once a dog..- he thought, holding his breath as it seen the ball go by. It's eyes widened and it let go of the strap of Ray's proton pack and dove for the ball with it's tongue lolling wildly from its mouth.

–..always a dog!- Peter thought with a grin. He seen Ray scramble to his feet, they looked across at one another and nodded. The dog got both barrels now, the twin beams shocking the ever-living daylights out of it. Ray grabbed the trap from his belt, drop-kicking it so it soared across the open space, sliding to a stop beneath the dog's thrashing form. He stamped a foot down on the switch and the trap opened with a roar of noise, dragging its prey down into itself before snapping shut. Smoke drifted up from it for a few seconds, then the light began to blink steadily, indicating it was trapped good and proper.

"Alright!" Peter whooped, hooking an arm around Ray's neck and ruffling his hair "nice one, Ray!"

The crowds emerged from hiding, cheering the victory. Peter released Ray, still grinning at his friend as he scooped up the trap, holding it triumphantly in the air..

* * *

Ray carefully set the trap on the table by the window, relieved that they'd caught the thing before it caused any damage- then he remembered that the thing had tried to maul Peter and turned to him now.

"Sit down." he said gently, making Peter tilt his head at him curiously, but he did so without a word. He sat there silently as Ray checked for injuries, running gentle fingers over his scalp where the Dog had been trying to scalp him. Peter winced once or twice, but it wasn't that bad, really.

"There's no sign of bleeding," Ray sighed in relief "thank goodness."

"Thank you, Doctor Stantz." Peter smiled and let one hand come to rest on Ray's side, tracing a pattern on him through the fabric. Ray squeaked and turned pink, he was rather ticklish in places.

Peter caught his eye and grinned, before wrapping him in his arms and kissing him firmly. Ray let out a little sigh of comfort and leant into his embrace.

"It scared the heck out of me," He admitted as they parted "hearing the switch click. I couldn't let it detonate-!"

"I know, I thought it was all over, too. Then you come charging over, giving that dumb mutt something to chew on. You saved my ass Ray, I owe you one." Peter said quietly as he took in Ray's near-to-tears-relieved expression. He planted a teasing kiss on Ray's lips, wondering how to thank him, it'd been more of a shock then he was letting on, thinking he was going to die. But Ray's fearlessness had saved both of them from a disastrous fate.

Ray's fingers linked behind Peter's neck as the kiss continued, his heart racing in a good way this time. They indulged in several deep, exploring kisses, hearing only the birds chirping outside in accompaniment to their racing heartbeats.

A wonderful shiver went through Ray as he felt Peter's fingers grasp the zip on his uniform. The muted clicks as the zippers teeth separated sounded loud to Ray's ears, matching the drumming of his heart. He felt unexpectedly nervous now, what if Peter was used to someone more... _experienced_?

His blood pressure shot up and he squeaked, breaking the kiss and ducking his head as he bit his lip.

"What is it, Ray?" Peter's warm hand traced his jaw and Ray uttered a soft groan of longing, nuzzling against his palm.

"It's...Peter, I-I've never-" he cut off, feeling embarrassed about his naivety once more. But Peter didn't laugh, didn't look disappointed in Ray, only kissed his friends forehead and whispered in his ear as he nuzzled into his neck.

"Then, will you trust me?"

Such a simple question, but it sent a thousand littles darts of electricity up Ray's spine. There was only one answer.

"Of course." he whispered, imagining Peter's lips curving into a smile as he kissed Ray's neck once more before moving back to meet his eyes. He wrapped the shy red-head in his arms and kissed him deeply before moving quickly to scoop Ray into his arms and lovingly carry him to the bed.

Ray clung tightly to Peter, feeling a little dizzy with anticipation. He nuzzled Peter's hair to calm himself as he set him atop the mattress. Part of him was still apprehensive about Peter seeing him without his uniform- Why did he have to be wearing a jumpsuit, an article of clothing famed for the fact it was an all-in-one thing? His hand halted for just a moment, the age-old doubt warring with Peter's assertions of Ray's real value.

Feeling Ray's wandering hand falter, Peter pulled back just enough to see his face. He seen a familiar worry in Ray's eyes and regarded him sternly but kindly, making Ray bite his lip.

"Ray," Peter murmured as he nuzzled him "don't let what that creep said bother you. You want my opinion? You're freakin' gorgeous, man."

Ray blushed profusely at this, but the open honesty on Peter's face made him believe it. Peter had a certain intensity when he was being this serious.

"I said it once and I'll say it again;" Peter said gently as he traced Rays lower lip with his thumb "I like you the way you are, that's the Ray I know and love."

He leaned in and very gently nibbled at Ray's lower lip, sending delicious tremors up Ray's spine "and that's the Ray I want to ravish."

Ray wrapped his arms around Peter's shoulders and kissed the brunette with an intensity that made Venkman want him even more. As the kisses become ever more in-depth, lips parting to allow deeper exploration, Peter's hand moved to the zipper of Ray's jumpsuit once again. He slowly, teasingly lowered the zip, feeling Ray's chest rising and falling rapidly beneath his hand, hearing him moan sweetly into the kiss.

At last, Ray felt Peter's hands pushing the fabric aside and brushing against the t-shirt he wore underneath. Slender fingers brushed his shoulders as Peter nudged the jumpsuit down and they parted for a moment. Both of them were flushed, realising the boundary that lay before them...

Ray answered the unspoken question that hung between them by kissing Peter fiercely and feeling him return it with a barely constrained fervour. As he did, he wriggled his upper body free of the jumpsuit, a thrill running through him with wilful abandon.

"Stop being so damn cute, Raymond." Peter scolded as he slipped his hands under Ray's shirt, tracing fingers over bare skin. When he removed the shirt, Ray took the article from Peter's hands and tossed it off the side of the bed, making himself very clear indeed.

He uttered a low groan as Peter nuzzled his neck, then left a trail of kisses down his chest, hands brushing his sides. But he didn't stop there, no. Ray squirmed atop the bedsheets as Peter made good his promise and lavished attention on him.

Peter only ceased heaping attention on the shy Ghostbuster to start on removing his own clothes, throwing his navy shirt aside with a carefree motion. He smiled as Ray reached up a hand and traced a faint scar on his shoulder.

"What did that?" Ray asked, unashamedly thinking how good he looked. Peter had wandered around the firehouse shirtless plenty of times, usually after just having had a shower. But it was only now that Ray took a proper look at him.

"Fell down the stairs at my college frat house," Peter chuckled as he kissed Ray "I was three sheets to the wind, totally blitzed. The doctor said I was lucky I hadn't gotten any worse injuries. He also said I was an idiot."

Ray giggled and Peter smiled, snaring his lips in a heated kiss as his hands moved to Ray's waist…

"You, you're cute when you're a little drunk." Peter teased, nipping at Ray's neck as he moved the jumpsuit and undergarments down over Ray's hips.

* * *

Every preparatory touch by Peter's expert hands felt unbelievably good to Ray, who'd never even dreamt of doing something like this before.

"Ready?" Peter's seductive voice whispered in Ray's ear as the preparations ceased and he positioned himself over his partner. Ray nodded, wrapping his arms around Peter's shoulders.

"This might hurt a little, Ray..." He murmured as his lips brushed Ray's ear "hold on tight," he pressed closer "if you need to, just call my name..."

* * *

Ray pressed his face into Peter's neck as they moved, soft little gasps escaping him as the initial pain shifted to pleasure. Thier rhythm became faster as Ray adjusted to the sensation, thier voices mingling together...

The birdsong from outside was soon lost in the sounds of the two lovers as they left that boundary far behind them.

Ray called Peter's name as they finished, holding tightly to him as the euphoria of the climax ran through him. The heat and feel of Peter's body was like an anchor, assuring him this wasn't simply a wondrous dream. Movement ceased and thier heavy breathing filled the space left by their sound.

"Mmm….you're amazing Ray.." Peter said breathily as he kissed him and moved back, hearing a faint gasp from Ray. He pulled the red-head into his arms as he lay back on the bed, the both of them breathing heavily.

"How're you feeling, Ray?" Peter asked softly, stroking a hand through Ray's hair. Ray smiled and lifted himself on one elbow to kiss Peter gently, cheeks flushed and eyes bright.

"Wonderful..." he whispered sleepily and it was Peter's turn to blush. Ray was so damn cute…

They indulged in several slow, leisurely kisses as Peter pulled the blankets over them and they basked in the afterglow. Peter traced patterns up and down Ray's bare back, making him smile sleepily. Soon, Ray drifted asleep in Peters arms, looking content and worn out. Peter stroked Ray's hair softly, trailing a hand down to his neck before coming to rest between his shoulder blades. He soon fell asleep himself, the rhythm of Ray's breathing the last thing he heard.

* * *

The two slept for about an hour or so, waking in the late evening. Ray woke first, instantly remembering what had transpired as he felt the warmth of the body he shared a bed with. He felt a surge of excitement, he'd just slept with one of his best friends. The sensation had been…." _oh, wow_ " was the best he could think of right that second.

Peter looked adorable, fast asleep. A smile was curving his lips, his hair mussed up and all over the place. He stirred a little but didn't wake when Ray ran a hand through his floppy fringe, watching the way it fell back into place over his forehead. Ray settled his chin on one hand, glancing across the room at the window, where he could see night sky through the slats in the blind, hear crickets chirping.

Peter drifted awake and the first thing he seen when he opened his eyes was Ray, staring over at the window. The other man had a cute smile on his face, lost in a daydream.

He reached up and lovingly pressed the palm of his hand to Ray's face. Ray jumped slightly, swiftly turning back to face Peter.

"Hey, you." Peter greeted him.

"Hey." Ray blushed innocently, it was very endearing.

"Feel alright?" Peter ran a fingertip down Ray's neck to his chest, then back up to caress the back of his neck.

"Mm-hm." another cute smile from Ray, making Peter kiss and nibble his lower lip again. Ray blushed even more as Peter released his lip, but he looked happy.

"I do hate to disturb you when you look so adorable, but we should probably at least try to get dressed for bed-" Peter said, indicating the pair of them.

"Nah." Ray said, lying next to Peter once more with a comfortable sigh "I'm plenty warm like this."

Peter's eyebrows rose and HE was the one to blush this time as he silently nodded to Ray's decision. He wrapped an arm around him and Ray beamed at him, making Peter love him a little bit more.

So he fell asleep a second time, with Ray cosied up to him and only the covers, well, covering them.

* * *

When morning dawned, Peter stirred first this time. He felt a body close to his own and grinned like an excited kid in a candy shop as he sat up. It hadn't been a dream, Ray really was curled up next to him, looking adorably content. Yesterday had been the day Peter had finally found someone worth perusing, not just another fling born out of boredom.

Unable to resist, he leant towards the sleeping Ray and blew on the back of his neck. This made Ray bolt awake with a squeak and Peter had to duck to avoid a flailing arm.

"Huh, what's-?" Ray blinked sleepily, then heard a familiar giggle. "not funny, Peter."

But even as he scolded him, he found he didn't really mind. He sat up, the covers puddling around his waist. This initial movement sent little reminders running up his back and he uttered an intrigued moan before he could stop himself. Peter's arms curled around his middle, pulling him against his chest.

"You may uh, feel a little stiff, for a day. That's not an innuendo, you goof." Peter joked, feeling Ray's barely suppressed giggles as he held him.

Ray sat back as his amusement died down, meetings Peter's eyes and seeing how happy he looked.

"I don't know if I've ever seen you smile that way." he blurted out innocently, blinking as Peter ducked his head, his fringe hiding his eyes.

"Well, I guess I just didn't have a reason to smile this much." Peter admitted at last, grinning at Ray. Ray's eyes drifted to marks on Peter's shoulders, faint bruises left by fingers and nails. He squeaked apologetically, drawings Peter's attention to them with his fingers.

Peter seen what he was squeaking at and kissed Ray on the forehead, saying he "didn't mind it one bit." with a reassuring wink thrown in.

He swung his legs down to the floor, standing up in one fluid movement. He sauntered over to the bathroom door, pausing and looking back at Ray.

"Wanna shower?" he asked, a sly smile on his face "see where else you've left an imprint on me?"

Ray blushed bright red, but nodded. He wrapped the sheet around himself and followed after Peter. No sooner had he shut the door behind him and turned round, then he came face to face with his friend-turned-lover. In a move echoing their first kiss, Peter set a hand on the door, just beside Ray's head.

"P-peter?" Ray asked, turning pink, what was going to happen?

Peter didn't say anything, merely leaned in and nibbled at Ray's neck. Ray squeaked and instinctively moved his hands to grasp Peter's shoulders. This meant the sheet didn't have anything to hold it up and he felt it brush against his legs as it fell to a heap at his feet.

"Stop hiding.." Peter purred victoriously "okay?"

A silent nod from the surprised, but happy Ray and the shower progressed as normal.

* * *

Peter went to bring the Car around once they'd dressed and Ray brought the cases round to the parking lot.

Once he'd parked the car and popped the trunk, Peter said he'd go settle the bill and Ray nodded, starting on packing the cases away. Since their uniforms had gotten slightly rumpled after last nights fun, the duo had reverted to wearing their civilian clothing.

Ray hummed to himself as he put the last of the bags holding the souvenirs into the trunk. He was about to shut it when he seen movement out of the corner of his eye, off to his right. He jolted, swinging round to see-

Favish.

Ray's blood went cold and he backed away, voice frozen. What was he going to do?

But to his surprise, Favish held his hands up in surrender.

"I'm not here to hurt you, Ray." He said weakly and on closer inspection, Ray noticed he looked like he hadn't slept a wink.

"After I left, I got completely drunk and wound up getting arrested. Spent a night in the cells, it was pretty embarrassing."

Ray stayed tense, hands clenched at his sides and his expression as unemotional as he could make it.

"My point is," Favish continued, "what I did was dangerous. I was angry at you all this time, but I also had a thing for you. Have done since we were in school."

This caught Ray off guard and he blinked, eyes wide. "What?"

"Stupidly, I thought if I made sure I hung around enough, you'd get the hint. But I pretty much acted like a jackass, I never got anywhere. Then you left town to go to college and became a big celebrity. I felt like a fool when I seen how much you'd accomplished."

"That's why you unleashed that magic?" Ray said shakily "you were angry I didn't notice you?"

"No, well- it was mostly jealousy over how successful you'd become. I'd spent so many years boasting that I'd made it, only to find out that you'd surpassed me long ago, I let it get the best of me."

"So you figured if I was drunk, you'd have a better chance this time?" Ray said, ashamed to feel furious and betrayed tears pricking his eyes. He clenched his fists even tighter to try and make them stop, until his nails were cutting into the skin on his palms.

"Why would a guy like you ever notice me?" Favish shrugged, feeling like shit.

"You could've tried just being yourself. When we were talking on the bench, that was when things felt safe. Then, I'm suddenly downing a lot of beer and you were hitting on me!" Ray fumed "you want someone to like you, TRUST you? Don't ever do THAT!"

He thought about Peter, how he'd just straight up admitted he liked Ray and hadn't tried to take Ray up on his drunken seduction attempt. He'd waited until Ray was sober enough to consent, that was what Ray liked about him. He felt exhausted tears, held in check since the day before, spill down his face and splash to the ground beneath him. He made a noise that Favish would later compare to the sound a heart can make when it shatters.

"I know I don't have the right, but I came here in the off chance I'd be able to catch you. I'm sorry. It doesn't undo what I've done, but it wont happen again, not with you or with anybody."

Ray blinked at him through tear-filled eyes, conflicted. But the way Favish was talking so openly, the actual look and sound of regret….

"YOU!" Both men jumped as a loud yell echoed across the parking lot, which was mercifully deserted. It was Peter, glaring daggers at Favish.

He stormed over, grabbing Favish by the collar as the man tried to ward him off.

"To heck with the cops, I'm going to make you regret ever coming near-"

"Peter, wait!" Ray tugged at Peter's sleeve, not wanting him to get into trouble.

But Peter refused to meet his eyes, shaking his head "no Ray, I know you don't like to think the worst of people, but this- it's gotta be done-"

"Let me go, I'm not trying to hurt hm!" Favish bleated and Peter growled at him, eyes full of fury.

"Peter..." Ray put a hand on Peter's arm now, tilting his head so he could look Venkman in the eye "trust me, please?"

Peter did meet his eyes then, seen Ray's expression, seen the tears that'd already been shed and those threatening to fall. Fury bubbled up, how dare this guy make Ray cry like this?

"What did he do, Ray?" he said softly, looking at Ray's tired eyes "tell me."

"He hasn't done anything, I just-" Ray offered a smile that seemed to say 'it's just ME.', it was the best explanation he could do right now. He brushed his thumb along Peter's wrist, hoping Venkman would trust him the same way he'd done himself, last night, when he'd entrusted himself to Peter.

Reluctantly, Peter let go of Favish, dropping the guy on his ass. But he still stood protectively between Ray and Favish and took a deep breath as he faced his friend.

"OK Ray, explain why this guy deserves a stay of execution." he said as he used his sleeve to dry the dampness on his friend's face. A swift gesture, there and gone, but Favish seen the obvious care contained within it, seen the way Ray blushed gently…

As if sensing him watching them, Peter turned back to face him again, all gentleness vanishing from his face to be replaced by a steely and unforgiving front.

Ray sighed shakily, setting his hand on Peter's back, out of sight of Favish. He focused on the way the hair at the nape of Peters neck curled softly against his skin as he spoke.

"He came here to apologise, Peter."

"Oh, really?" Peter said tersely, although the warmth of Ray's hand could be felt through his shirt.

Favish nodded, he was legitimately nervous that Venkman was going to go crazy on him.

"I was jealous, Ray had everything I'd always thought I deserved. I realised the depth of the mistake I'd made after running out of the diner. My jealously wasn't worth seeing Ray so miserable-"

"It doesn't make up for what you tried to do!" Peter couldn't forgive the man as easily as Ray might. Not when someone he cared about was at the heart of it...

"No." Ray said shakily, gripping a handful of Peter's shirt to keep him from launching at Favish "you're right, it doesn't."

This assertiveness startled the other two, who both turned their gazes to him. Ray met Peter's eyes, seen the sheer strength of Venkman's belief in him and felt a little braver. He recalled what Peter had said about standing up for himself instead of enduring pain for the sake of another.

"The fact you can at least apologise, Alan, means you're not beyond forgiveness. But I don't know if I will ever fully trust you again, not for a long while. Maybe by the time I return here again, we can talk as friends, like we used to be."

Peter could feel the tremors in Ray's grip, this entire weekend had been hard on him and he just hoped that the time Ray had spent in his arms and his bed had been happy respites for the man. But he still was immensely proud of him, hearing those words that must've taken a lot to say.

Favish scrambled to his feet, tired and hungover but relieved. He'd at least said his piece to Stantz, now all he could do was try improve his life.

"Things'll be better when you come back Ray." he said, making Ray blink at him "I know I cant compete with Peter here, but I'll try to be the kind of guy you could've liked in another universe, perhaps."

Ray flushed slightly, genuinely surprised that he'd sparked this kind of determination. He met Favish's eyes and seen the man manage a much lighter smile. It seemed making such a decision was a load off for him too, so he offered a small smile in return.

"I look forward to it, Alan." he said kindly.

Peter stood stock still and watched as Favish headed off down the driveway, looking a little happier then before Peter had dropped him on his rear. Then he felt Ray's hand brush his arm again and snapped out of his daze, turning to see Stantz standing beside him now.

"You amaze me, Raymond." he murmured, shaking his head as he took in Ray's handsome features, "that heart of yours, it's too good for a rogue like me-"

But Ray stepped forward, placed himself before Peter and proceeded to shut him up with a peck on the lips, making Peter blush lightly at being caught off guard.

"Don't say that Peter," Ray said gently, rocking back on his heels and angling his head to meet Peter's gaze "you have a loyal heart, even if you do hide it from the world. I'm honoured I get to see it at its best."

"Ray.." Peter said huskily, floored by his words. He felt his cheeks burning and angled his head away, but it was impossible to stop.

Ray felt his heart ache as he seen Peter falter and blush profusely. It made him look absolutely gorgeous, this was the real Peter Venkman, with his barriers lowered.

Peter looked back at Ray as he felt warm fingertips graze his cheek, coming to rest under his chin. His breath caught in his throat as Ray met his eyes, the sweetest smile in the world gracing the red-head's lips.

Ray made a contented little noise as Peter kissed him fiercely, there was so much unspoken in those few seconds. For a moment the world shrank to just them, sharing a kiss beside the hire car, the warm sunshine filtering through the trees to decorate the tarmac at their feet. He felt his lips tingle from the passion behind the kiss, heart thudding giddily as Peter released him. It brought back flashbacks of last night, feeling those lips roaming over his body, blazing a trail of attention from his neck to the inside of his thighs…

The way Peter looked at him as they finally parted, the way his hands rested at Ray's waist, tangling his fingers in the loops of Ray's belt, it said many things without a single word being spoken between them.

"Let's go home." Peter murmured, breathing in the scent of Ray's hair. If a person could be an addiction, Ray was it.

* * *

They got into the car and set off for home. As they left the town, Ray craned round in his seat and watched his old hometown vanish into the distance.

He sighed heavily, wondering if he'd ever go back?

"Don't fret about it." Peter said, reading his mind as he drove. Ray flushed, fingers tangling together in his lap as he glanced at Peter, nodding once.

Despite all that'd gone on, it was still the best visit ever. The evidence was sitting in the seat next to him, flashing him a roguish grin and tracing a finger up Ray's leg as the car idled at a light.

He said as such to Peter, who smiled, promising Ray he'd make many more memories soon. The seductive implications in Peter's voice made Rays heart pick up speed, the excitement and thrill of their relationship a thing worth working for…

* * *

 **Authors note: That's the end of THIS story, but i will be adding more for these two. I'm already in the process of correcting the next one. Thank you for reading!**


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